By Royal Appointment
by Crystal-Daydreams
Summary: When Jim is sent by the Academy to assist familiar Captain on a voyage, he had no idea he was going to be a part of an intergalactic peace settlement. But does he want the mission to succeed? He's no longer sure...
1. Chapter 1 - Opportunity

Each of Jim's steps were careful, slow and purposeful despite every urge wanting him to run into the Commander's office and demand an explanation. He had done nothing to warrant being called to the office, he had kept his head down and his nose clean. He thought he was doing well despite being somewhat behind his peers when it came to some classes, he was struggling somewhat in Intergalactic Languages and his History was somewhat rusty. But he had been excelling in Engineering, Navigation and top of his class in Nautical Strategy. For once in what felt like forever, his mum seemed proud.

Every letter from her was filled with descriptions of the business, how busy the place was getting or how the customers were just as demanding as ever. But mostly how much she missed him, or loved him, or was proud. Every letter oozed with pride. It was those letter's that kept Jim pushing to be the best he can.

He had stuck to the rules set by the Academy. He was punctual, he attended all his classes, spoke to the officers with respect and dressed in uniform. The only exception being he did venture out after curfew, sneaking through a garbage shoot to engage in some late night solar surfing. He needed to blow of steam somehow and it was better that way than punching one of the more pompous members of his class. He was sure no one knew about the solar surfing though, he had been careful. But…there was nothing else they could be calling him in for.

He rapt his knuckles on the Commander's door, too hard. His knuckles stung slightly, he still needed to get a better hold of his anger.

"Enter" the Commanders voice was like steel, fitting for a Skonos. The commander was all muscle and cold scalene skin. His skin was the colour of oil, muddy brown but when the light hit his scales right you could see blues, purples and green. Something about the Commanders flicking tongue, darting out occasionally to taste the air set Jim at unease.

The office was small, circular but clean. The smooth black desk empty, no papers littering the surface or books. The Commander was a man of order. The walls, navy, bore no art but instead several framed maps and certificates each carefully placed. A circular window revealed the familiar star speckled skies. Jim saluted, an action that had slowly became habitual the longer he had remained in the Academy. The commander, sat at the desk with his reptilian fingers interlaced nodded in approval. "At ease. I suppose you are wondering why I called you in here Hawkins"

"I have some ideas…" Jim rubbed his hand across the back of his neck "…well just the one actually"

"This is not about the solar surfing Hawkins" the smallest trace of a smile seemed to reach his black eyes, Jim tried his best to seem confused. Not hard enough though. "There is little that happens here that I am not aware of Hawkins. I have chosen to ignore your late night…hobbies…if I were to expel every student who were out after curfew these halls would be empty"

"Then why am I here?" Jim forgot himself and had to quickly add "Sir"

"Sit down," Jim took a seat in the old beaten chair. He felt small beneath the commander, but he would be damned if he shown it. He puffed out his chest slightly. He had been so ready to have to argue his right to stay here, ready to negotiate with the commander about any accusation he brought forward. He wasn't prepared for this, whatever this was. "The Academy has been offered a chance to offer one of it's students the opportunity of nautical experience. The Captain has shown interest in you, but I am left to ask are you the best choice?"

The thought of being back in the open sea's again. The wind in his hair and adventure spanning out as far as the eye could see. He missed it, what he wouldn't do to go back there? There was a freedom on the sea he couldn't find on land, no matter how hard he looked.

"I am!" he spat the words out before he had time to think about the proper form of addressing a superior officer "Whatever the mission is, wherever they are heading, I can do it. Engineering, Navigation – hell I'd even be a cabin boy again, let me prove I can do this!"

The Commander's eyes glinted "Once you've had a taste of the open sea, you can never close your heart to its call…do I need to remind you that you would be representing the entire Academy? Our reputation as an institution would rest upon your actions?"

"No sir, I wouldn't let the academy down" he said feeling suddenly desperate "I swear you would not regret this"

"I best hadn't," He chuckles slightly, an edge to his voice "I'll assign you to the mission but Hawkins, if you embarrass the Academy, if you embarrass me, you will be going back to Montressa. Understood?"

"Aye commander" Jim didn't need any further explanation. He failed here, and he was finished, back to working as a kitchen boy. Back to being the disappointment his mum didn't deserve.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Mission

The ship was scheduled to leave Dock Sixteen at precisely half past four Montressa time. Jim arrived early, about an hour before they were due to leave port. Everywhere was busy, streets bustling with crowds of species from right across the Galaxy. There was news floating around concerning some planets royals, but Jim didn't pay any attention. The politics of other planets didn't concern him. He struggled to find any interest in his home planets politics let alone somewhere else's.

He found the ship easy enough, his luggage packed in an old, canvas sack that had been thrown over his shoulder. The air already tasted salty and electric, he wasn't even out to sea yet and he was already feeling more liberated than he had in a long time. Workers busied themselves with cargo, transporting it from dock to the hull. Others worked the ropes, readied the sails and youngish lad of hog-like species mopped the deck. It felt somewhat strange watching the cabin boy, his long black snout perspiring from effort and his ears twitching occasionally, and thinking that only a year ago that had been his role.

He climbed on board, the freshly polished deck slightly slippery beneath his soft leather boots. He spotted the Bridge was clear and he simply couldn't resist himself. Quickly and quietly he made his way up the steps and behind the wheel. His hands wrapped around the wheel easily like it had been what he born for.

"Captain James Hawkins…" he uttered to himself beneath his breath, smirking at the very idea "Think it's got quite the ring to it"

"You still have a long way to go to earn that title, Hawkins" Jim jumped at the voice, he hadn't heard Captain Amelia sneak up on him. The woman was unsettlingly stealthy. "I hope you weren't planning to steal my ship?"

"No ma'am" Jim replied, smiling warmly up to his old friend "Wouldn't dream of crossing you"

"Glad to hear it" she said, ears twitching enthusiastically "After all I was the one who requested you"

He should have guessed. The Captain and he had shared an adventure together, Jim's maiden voyage. With her help and that of Doctor Doppler and B.E.N not only had they found Treasure Planet itself, holding the loot of a thousand worlds, but also managed to escape the planet without being blown to smithereens.

Not many people would take on an Academy Recruit with no experience but that of a cabin boy. Not many people at all, but Amelia must have saw something she liked in Jim.

"How's the family?" Jim asked leaning against the ships banister "Are the kid's still..."

"Fighting like cat's and dogs? Yes, driving Delbert mad the poor dear. Douglas he can cope with but the girls are little too fast for the poor man" she said "It's somewhat entertaining to watch"

Jim chuckled "And what about my mum?"

"Oh she's doing very well, great with the kids, comes around for tea every Sunday" she said before placing a hand gently on one of Jim's shoulders "She's very proud of you, Jim"

"Yeah…I know" He knew because she told him. But it didn't feel like that long ago when he was a burden to his mother. He never wanted to go back to that. He shrugged the thoughts off, repressing his emotions into that tight little box where he kept all of his unwanted thoughts, memories and feelings. He can deal with them another day, hopefully one that would never come. "So, what's the mission?"

"Ah for that let's go into the office" she looked around suspiciously "The details are somewhat sensitive in nature"

* * *

The captains office wasn't all too dissimilar to that of the RLS Legacy. The ship itself was a sister of the Legacy, the RLS Ascension. The ship had more cabins than the RLS Legacy had, designed for a larger crew. The Captains office was furnished with Rosewood and silver handles on the drawers of the Captains large ornate desk. The desk already had various maps unrolled across and a sextant lying atop them, waiting for Amelia's hands.

"The mission that the crew, and likewise the public are aware of" She carefully made her way around the desk her fingers tracing unmarked routes across the maps "is that this ship is to transport a high value engagement gift to the Prince of Eshurn"

"And let me guess, the truth is a little more complicated?" he leant against the nearest wall to him, preferring to stand than sit. He never had been much of a fan for staying still.

"Precisely" she said not looking up from her maps "The truth being we are actually transporting the bride to be. The youngest Princess of the planet Atlantica. As I am sure your more than aware Eshurn and Atlantica have been warring for the last century…this marriage alliance could bring some much-needed peace"

"Then why the secrecy?" Jim's eyebrows furrowed "If it's such a good thing why are we going about it sneakily?"

"Because," a sadness entered the Captains eyes "You can't trust everyone to do what's good. There are a lot of people who profit from this war who do not want the marriage to go ahead. Not to mention the kind of ransom one could acquire by capturing the Princess…no it is far safer for her identity to remain hidden. Instead she will be posing as my niece…and you shall be her guard"

"Me?" If it wasn't for the wall supporting him, Jim would have fell "You want me to babysit an airhead Princess?"

"Hawkins, I need someone I can trust on this" Amelia spoke very carefully "She shall need discreet protection and her identity must remain secret. Do I need to remind you of the gravity of this mission?"

Jim swallowed his words. He wanted to be putting his training into practice. Helping to plot a course or maintaining the engine…not a glorified baby sitter. But if the choice was between this mission, a mission that was never the less experience on the open skies, or returning to the academy for more classes and drills…the choice was not a difficult one to make.

"No ma'am" he said "I'll do my best Captain"


	3. Chapter 3 - Introductions

Staring outside of the small round window, the frame gilded in a bronze-gold tone, Ariel could scarcely believe the world around her. She was in a new world, journeying to another new world to begin a new life. Perhaps she should be scared, her father certainly was. He resented the decision, but the old king was tired of war and longed for peace as much as anyone. He could see he age in his scales and his thoughts turned to what world he would be leaving behind for his daughters.

It had been Attina to voice the idea, though it was dubious at the time whether she had been brave or foolish. She was being trained for rule so for a long time she had been acting as an advisor to Triton, sitting on council meetings and discussions. She was headstrong and out of all them the most like Queen Athena. Perhaps that was because out of all the sisters, Attina was the one with the clearest memories of their mother. Painful memories, but memories never the less.

"Peace will never come about through doing nothing," she said very clearly, catching the attention of all the council, especially their fathers. "I propose…well, I propose a marriage alliance. The Prince of Eshurn and one of the younger Princesses of Atlantica."

"You propose…what?!"

King Tritons reaction to the proposal was initially very similar to that of an undersea volcano. Fiery, explosive and uncontrolled rage. But like all volcanos he eventually calmed. That was until Ariel volunteered for the role, then the whole volcanic process had to repeated once more. But eventually, they got to where they were now; Ariel in a cabin without her sisters or father near her for the first time in all of her sixteen years and King Triton waiting for Attina's plan of peace to fall apart so he can reclaim his youngest daughter.

She had been provided clothing suitable for the journey, clothing that would keep her from revealing her royal birth to the world.

"Safest way," Captain Amelia had assured her. "We do not want to tempt fate by advertising the prestige of our ships occupants to every thief, pirate and hooligan in the seven galaxies."

Her fingers touched the locket around her neck, the colour of Mediterranean sand and shaped like a shell. It glowed a soft green under her touch. Would she miss her fins? Would she ever grow tired of walking on two legs? The trousers she had been provided were scratchy and lacked give, when her knee bent she felt the material tighten in a way that wasn't comfortable, and her chest felt warm beneath several layers she had been told to wear. Legs she could get used to, the clothing of this world may take more time.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. She didn't get a chance to respond, the door opened on its own and in walked a somewhat scruffy young man. Perhaps boy was a better description, he couldn't be much older than she was. His hair was long at the front with sweeping bangs, but the rear of his head receded into a tight, plaited rats tail. Her looked like some of the mermen that loitered on street corners or avoided responsibility at all cost. She wasn't keen on this boy simply allowing himself in to her chambers. She stood straight, looking the boy cold in the eyes and puffed out her chest indignantly.

"Excuse me," she spoke, voice clear and regal. "I didn't say you could enter."

"Don't get your tiara in a twist," he said, though there was an attitude in her voice. Something unpleasant in the way he said Princess, like the title was a joke. "The Captain said I should meet you. I'm your guard for the voyage"

"You?" she looked the boy up and down, disappointment clear on her features. "But you're just a boy?"

"And you're a pampered show pony," he said fiddling with a jewellery box on the side of her cupboard "But let's try not to judge by appearance, shall we? We'll apparently be spending a lot of time together"

"Lucky me" Ariel rolled her eyes, flopping into a near chair. She crossed her arms across her chest, her fringe falling into her eyes as she did. She huffed, making little difference to the state of her fringe. She would have preferred Sebastian this, at least he had manners. This boy had an attitude that cutting into her sense of wonder. She wanted to see the skies flow with stars and stare in awe at every angle of the galaxy. She did not want those moments, moments she had hoped for her entire life, ruined by a snarky brat.

"Exactly Princess," he said grabbing the door handle again before making to leave "Lucky you"


End file.
